12.30.2008

(This is Joe and his two cousins, at aunt Sarah's house on xmas Eve. )

Joe's favorite gift (from Grandma) - a Lionel Train set!!

And...Making a Gingerbread house with Aunt Barb....

That's about it for the holidays. We are staying around the house, and keeping warm. We have nowhere to be at any given time, and we are loving it! (Even though I have watched the "Curious George" movie about 6 times now....)

All for now - I'll let you know how our New Year's Celebrations go...(Little Joe is having a sleepover at Grandmas house!)

Have YOU done your New Year's Resolutions? I'll share mine if you share yours....

12.23.2008

For as long as I can remember, my family makes lefse on holidays. It is a time consuming, tedious and MESSY event. but the end result is well worth it. I simpy love lefse. I am making some for Xmas dinner...and Little Joe decided to help me.

Here it is...on the griddle.

The finished product...colling under a fleeceless towel.

This year, I tried a new recipe, as my Aunt Pat's recipe just hasn't turned out very well for me in the past few years. Here is the new recipe I tried: (which turned out GREAT!!)

12.20.2008

Big Joe has recovered, well sort of. In the sense that he is awake, and sort of moving around. He is sleeping in the zero-gravity recliner chairs (like the ones that My Aunt and Uncle in Oregon have on their porch). He is taking his pain pills when needed, and being a good invalid. :)

We had a snow day yesterday (8 inches of snow), so little Joe stayed home with us. I got to play in the snow with him too. Whoo-hoo!! I did brave the snow and roads to go to Meijer, and got stuck three times between there and home, including right in front of our driveway. Ugh. Stupid car. Stupid snow.

Other than that, we are hanging around the house, staying in our PJs. I might have to go back out, as Little Joe ran his xmas train set until the batteries died, and we want to make sure that the train is running when Santa coems to visit!!

12.18.2008

I’m sitting in the waiting room for the surgical room at the hospital. Big Joe is having his shoulder surgery right now. I am having a harder time than I thought with this. I brought work with me, to keep my mind off of things, and all I can do is think about his surgery. Ugh. I can hardly even pick up the book I brought with me, because that won’t work either. My mind is so jumpy, I can’t concentrate on a darn thing.

I should be doing work, I am slammed at work, and I anticipate no slowdown. It’s just that people always want so much, and I have a hard time saying no. Most of these things are my responsibility; it’s just very tough getting everything done. Sigh.

And to top things off right now, I cannot connect to the wireless network in the waiting room, which is frustrating me even more, because I had planned on doing work here, and being able to connect to the internet. Grrr. This is frustrating. I’m also sitting on the floor, underneath the coat rack, as this is the only place with a plug, and I have to plug my laptop in, as the Dell battery sucks and won’t hold a charge. I have 5 memos/emails/letters completed, and I can’t send them to where they need to go. Dammit. I think I need to get off of the “poor me” box.

I’m looking forward to Christmas, maybe I can get more into the holiday spirit. Big Joe came home last night with a Christmas train that goes around the Christmas tree. How cool!! Little Joe LOVED it! He played with it for almost an hour straight last night. Goofy kid. I kept telling him that Santa was going to play with it, because it was such a cool train.

Ok, the doctor just called, he is in recovery, so I’m going to pack all of my stuff up, and get ready to get him and bring him home. Poor guy. He’s going to be in pain, and so out of it…

12.14.2008

Paying homage to my grandparents (they know who they are...), I taught Little Joe how to play Mexican Train last night.

He loved it. And he really got into it too...I have a feeling that this might become a family game for us. We don't have the official "game", but we have the dominoes, and we used little Star Trek ornaments as our "markers". That's all you need.

On a side note - I have wanted to do a family night for some time now. Turn off the TV, sit at the dining table, and play a game. However, playing Chutes and Ladders for an hour just didn't really make me jump with glee. So, I am infinitely glad that Joseph now knows how to play Mexican Train.

On Saturday morning, Little Joe and I went to the DIA. I was able to score free passes through the Museum Adventure Pass Program. (There are usually no DIA passes, so when I saw them on Tuesday at the Library, I grabbed them).

If you haven't been to the DIA in a while....Go. Seriously. Go there. They have great interpretive things for kids (and adults). It is isn't a stuffy, silent, be quiet museum. We had a GREAT time!

They have taken the main hall, and installed sparkley mirrors across the entire ceiling, hanging down. This. Was. Cool.

On the thrid floor - we enjoyed a French dinner from the 18th-century. The official description:“Visitors to the museum’s decorative arts gallery sit at a table onto which is projected an aristocratic dinner service. Visitors feel like they are participating in the dinner as three courses of historically accurate food are served using porcelain and silver on display within the gallery itself. The installation includes a sound recording of native French speakers that adds an air of authenticity to the experience.”

12.09.2008

Here it is, as promised. 101 things I want to do in my life. WHERE'S YOUR LIST!?!?!

1. Go skydiving2. Finish making the quilt I started 6 years ago3. Run a 10K – without taking ANY walk breaks4. Do a short triathlon5. Get my RLA6. Read the Fountainhead – not just skim it.7. Go to Italy for a wine tour8. Be a barista9. Own a coffee shop10. Be debt-free11. Own a hot tub in a landscaped backyard12. Buy a vintage convertible13. Visit Norway14. Sew a Halloween costume for myself (a really cool fancy baroque dress)15. Play French Horn with a group16. Make my own wine, in the basement.17. Sing in a choir18. Be an adjunct Professor for a College/University19. Own a home on Lake Superior20. Take a photography class21. Drive the whole Hwy 1 from South to North22. Write a book23. Breed German Shepherd Dogs24. Raise a Seeing Eye Dog25. Be clutter-free26. Play the piano once a day for 15 minutes27. Share a steak dinner with my son.28. Not have a car payment for a year straight.29. Watch my son play high school sports30. Drywall a room, without the help of a contractor31. Host a big party at our house for all of our friends.32. Go whale-watching33. Go scuba-diving34. Go to Indonesia again35. Go to a yoga retreat for a week36. Get season tickets for UM football37. Be a regular tailgater at UM football.38. Take a class in stained-glass39. Go camping for a week on Isle Royale40. Go for a girls weekend every other year with my cousins from TRF41. Snorkel the Great Barrier Reef42. Visit a farmer’s market every Saturday43. Eat at least 80% of our food from a local organic source (farm, garden, etc.)44. Have season tickets to the DSO45. Go ziplining over the rainforest46. Go for a hot Air balloon ride in northern Michigan for a fall color tour47. Learn how to cook really good fall off the bone ribs in the smoker48. Go whitewater rafting as a family49. Work on a ranch for a week – a working vacation50. Grow peaches and apples in our yard.51. Have a meaningful collection of Pewabic tiles52. Teach my son to snow ski53. Have our neighbors over for dinner54. Volunteer at a shelter once a month55. Go on a cemetery tour of New Orleans56. Go kayaking in Northern Michigan57. Make digital photobooks of all of our vacations58. See a choral and full orchestral performance in the National Cathedral in Washington DC59. Have an art studio60. Have chickens – from which we can get fresh eggs!61. Have a bathroom with a chandelier in it.62. Rent a beach house in the Outer Banks and spend a week of vacation there with lots of family63. Go hang gliding in California64. Get my teeth straightened (again) with braces.65. Take a cooking class66. Have a pet frog67. Have a yoga studio68. Take a class in ceramics69. Make a set of dishes70. Knit a sweater71. Visit a psychic72. Have a house with a porch and two big rocking chairs side-by-side73. Make a ring with both of my mother’s wedding stones74. Live on a lake75. Be a member of the Boosters when my son is in HS76. Have a cutting garden so I can have fresh flowers in the house all summer.77. Forgive all those whom I feel have ever wronged me in some way78. Keep a sketch journal79. Play on a golf league80. Have an organized walk-in closet81. Have a wall of family photos in all different silver frames82. Get a facial once every 6 months83. Organize my basement84. Park my car in the garage85. Have a Greenhouse/Hothouse in the backyard86. Make lefse every year.87. Sew a quilt made of Joseph’s baby clothes/blankets88. Go on a walking tour of New England89. Go to Washington DC during Cherry Blossom time90. Be a Polar Bear once (jump into a frozen lake or river)91. Drive a race car in a driving school (and GO FAST!)92. Have a fridge that FITS in the kitchen.93. Have a cleaning person come once a month.94. Have a place for everything, and everything in it’s place95. Learn to the play the guitar96. Sing at an open mic night at a coffeehouse or somewhere.97. Make spaghetti sauce every year from our garden, and give the jars away as gifts98. Have a pond in the backyard, with a gazebo hanging/floating on the edge99. Take a 21-day (or more) cruise to Alaska100. Get into a habit of a 5-minute meditation before bed every night101. Learn to appreciate Good Scotch.

This week, Joe is the Star of the Week in his class. We had to put a poster together all about him. However, due to some discipline issues, he was sent to bed early on Sunday morning. Therefore, I woke him up at 6AM on Monday morning, and we sat in the kitchen together, drawing the pictures for his poster. I did the frames, and titles, but he did all of the drawings. I then asked him question, and I wrote the lists you see at the bottom of the poster.

Here is the scene - Little Joe is on our bed, wrapped in blankets, watching Harry Potter. Big Joe, napping on the couch, listening to football, and me, in my PJs, blogging, drinking coffee, and preparing to roast a chicken for dinner. This is heaven. An odd heaven, but still heaven to me. The house is quiet, there is nobody running, yelling, no sirens or train whistles. There is stuff to be done, but it isn't pressing.